A Compelling, Spellbinding, and Intriguing Film

I've read many perceptive comments made on the board here about the movie, which I just saw for the first time tonight, a recording of it I made off TCM when it aired a couple of months or so ago. I'd heard of "Jules et Jim" for many years, vaguely recalled that it was a Truffaut film, and supposedly a classic, but knew nothing of its plot or characters. I wanted to finally see it, though, primarily because of my interest in Jeanne Moreau, a contemporary of Brigitte Bardot and Chatherine Deneuve, both of whom I adore. I knew Oskar Werner only from "Ship of Fools" and "The Spy Who Came in From the Cold". Unlike some people, I've always enjoyed the challenge of reading subtitles, and this film really keeps one on its toes! To be honest, I had a hard time differentiating between who was Jim and who was Jules, but not to the point where it detracted from my viewing experience. It didn't really seem to matter too much. In short, I liked the film, which probably is a classic. It took me awhile to get into it, and get a sense of where it was headed, but after a certain point, I knew I was totally hooked(it probably was shortly after Ms. Moreau appeared). I found the photography captivating, eventually becoming quite enamored of the trio's carefree lifestyle and appealing residences, especially the chalet. Yes, Catherine may've been unlikeable in certain ways, but she obviously had an irresistable hold on Jules and Jim. The fellows may've been foolishly romantic and/or weak, but their bizarre and unconventional relationship with her seemed to work for all of them, at least in the early stages. The unusualness of it was what I found so intriguing and mesmerizing. I thought the WWI scenes were especially good. I honestly couldn't tell whether we were seeing actual war footage, or if they'd been recreated by Truffaut. The post-war conversation scene in the grassy field between Jules, Jim, and Albert was especially moving and memorable, I thought. The movie's ending totally shocked me. I have to admit that I found Catherine's act of suicide and murder, when she drove her car over the bridge with her estranged former lover, to be despicable, leading to a very depressing ending, but because I wasn't expecting something so dramatic and extreme, I didn't feel unfulfilled or let down. It was a capstone to a very mesmerizing movie over all!